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Nice site, but I still would want something a little more personal.... Beside that, Video Brewery doesn't have a ColecoVision section...

My website hasn't been updated for a while... I was thinking if maybe someone here would be interested in maintening it... It's small and doesn't need to be updated too frequently. The thing is taking me away a lot of precious time, but I still want to have a centralized place for news. If someone could be interested I would be willing to give a free game as payment. But the candidate needs to have good website administration experience and spare time to update it a time a week. Thanks!

It would be nice if I could be able to stuff some extra hardware inside a standard CV cartridge, but the fact is the only possible expansion would be extra RAM. The CV cartridge bus is very limited (just address and data lines), but the expansion port does have a lot of extra lines, including soundin. The CV architecture is really nice... If the graphics aren't going to change (and now I am convinced it wouldn't have to change), I don't see any need for a new powerful CPU. Just an extra standard Z80 would be enough. One would use it to handle sound or parallel processing, which a lot of arcade games from the 80's used to do. The capability to load games from standard 3"1/2 disks would help to sell the unit too... But I understand no one is going to want a expansion module if it doesn't have good software and since I am just a single programmer, it surely makes for a good point... Maybe if I am able to convince some others CV programmers to start making games to this thing, it would be more practical... Interesting... I will thing about...

Well, I know here is a 2600 forum, but I just can't resist... On my side, I hope to release two "new" ColecoVision games: Space Invaders Collection is already in beta and the release details are being defined. And I have just started Pac-Man Collection, which will include Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man and maybe Pac-Man Plus, and hope to release it this year too. Eduardo

Do not underestimate the power of the Dark Side..., I mean, the CV.. hehe... Yep, it will be a brand new port much closer to the original. But now Ms Pac-Man will be included too. Perhaps even Pac-Man Plus... For sure the game will include Puckman (the Japanese version), Pac-Man (Midway version), Ms. Pac-Man and maybe Pac-Man Plus...

I am in process to port Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man for the CV, and here are the firsts screenshots. Now I have figured out almost the entire game opening and I have put together a little piece of code. The game is already booting, showing the grid and the character name screen (I have removed the memory test, as it was too time wasting for a home game). There isn't any animation yet, but it is just a matter of time now... As a extra surprise from my effort, I have found a secret screen which I don't know if someone was aware. The screen shows "Made by Namco" as shown bellow and needs a trick to be activated... As soon as I have the entire opening sequence ready, I would post a bin file at my web site, so every one here would check my progress.

Yes, of course. My intention isn't copy existing games (thought someone else would do it) but create new games for this expansion. The extra CPU would be used to process sound or anything else. I think some games need more sound capabilities than the CV sound chip would be able to generate. For example, Gyruss has always been a favorite of mine, but half of the game fun would be lost if the music isn't there [or if it isn't good]. Beside that, I am planning a game heavily dependent on sound and music. About the Intellivision adapter, it is possible, but you are going to need the entire Intellivision chipset, and I think it would be difficult to find now...

I was thinking about creating a small expansion module which would include extra RAM, SRAM (to save games), an extra Z-80 and one or two Yamaha sound chips (FM, square wave and ADPCM). It would be the basic thing. But some extra features would be possible, like a floppy drive or a new video processor. However I am fearing a few CV fans aren't going to find the new video such a good idea. Yamaha used to produce a nice VDP called V9990, which was much like a SNES, just without the mode 7 thing. But it has stoped production for a while... Another possibilities would be the V9938 or V9958. Those chips are compatible backward with the CV TMS 9918. V9958 features 128KB VRAM, has a lot more sprites, hardware scroll, bitmapped image, color palletes, up to 512x212 resolution, etc...

Hi, I was thinking about several possibilities for a new expansion module on the CV when a thinking suddenly struck me: how far could I go before someone starts complaining I have changed the CV hardware too much? So I had the idea to post this "poll" Please let me know that you think would be a nice expansion for the CV: 1) I don't see any problem with expansions, ever if it upgrades CPU, video, audio, memory, etc. 2) I find the expansion idea nice, but if you change the video it isn't going to "look" like a CV anymore. A sound upgrade would be ok thought, as long as it doesn't "sound" too "hi-tech". 3) I like the standard CV graphics and sounds as it is, so I don't think any audio visual improvements would be a good idea. But no problem if you include extra RAM or bank switching. 4) I don't think any kind of hardware improvement would be a good idea. Please don't screew up with the CV! 5) What is an expansion module? What is "CV"? Thanks!

The CV is my favorite system too (together the VCS). I really like both machines. Ok, here is my top ten list: - Venture - Lady Bug - Frogger - Galaxian - Antarctic Adventure - Smurf Rescue - Space Fury - Zaxxon (it was a blast when it came out!) - Moon Patrol (the Atarisoft prototype) By the way, I love every Atarisoft game... Even the unfinished prototytes are great! - and Space Invaders Collection Really! I have never played a CV game this much!

Really? Aside from Popeye (Popeye is solid white), I never noticed a problem with this. I'm sure there were lots of tricks to get around this too, and there's enough games out there with multicolored characters (however they were done) that I don't think it's a big issue unless you're actually programming for the machine. So it is a issue to me... A possible trick would be to superimpose two or more sprites to make up for the single color limitation, but it would count towards the 4 sprites in a row limitation. Anyway it was the more common solution, as it is very simple to implement. Another way would be to use sprite flickering. If it is timely executed (swapping sprites every frame using a good algorithm), the effect isn't bad. A last possible way would be to use graphic shapes in order to complement sprites, but it is the most complicated, mostly if you will be moving everything smoothly. Pac-Man will be using a combination of sprites and shapes, but I will implements flickering too (just in case a lot of objects get in the same row, a thing is surely going to happen in Ms Pac-Man).

About the ColecoVision, the correct amount of RAM is 1KB... I think Zero summarized the pros and cons for each system pretty well. But from the technical standpoint, I think the ColecoVision has two weaknesses: - No hardware scroll capabilities. The Intellivision does have hardware scroll, but the VCS doesn't have too, thought it is possible to implement vertical scrolling pretty easily. Creating smooth scroll on the ColecoVision isn't a trivial process. - The sprites don't have the same capabilities as the background graphics (just a single color per sprite). The Intellivision also just allow single color sprites, but it is coherent with its background graphics. The VCS offer far more advanced capabilities for its player graphics than for playerfield. It ever allows a color for each player line. As for the 5200, I would say it has two weak points too: - The sprites capabilities are poor (just 8 pixels wide sprites). - Few colors per scan line (I think no more than 4, considering just the practical resolutions for game, which were a little outdated even for the time, just 160x200).

Here in Brazil it still possible to buy a new SMS, as it is still being made. One can find a lot of unusual games too, like Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat or Virtua Fighter.

I have just checked the NES (Famicom) version of Galaga and did find the graphics and gameplay very faithful to the arcade. But the alien formation just doesn’t move right (too rough). Since the NES isn't very good in redefining characters, it would be expected. In other hand, the MSX computer (almost identical to the CV hardware) version (picture bellow) isn't so good graphically (the gameplay is nearly identical to the NES version thought), but the alien formation moves more smoothly and arcade like. It's probably because the TMS-9918 is better in redefining chars than the NES display processor. Anyway, a true to the arcade port would prove very challenging, as it will require lots of char redefinitions going on in real time. The alien formation will need char updates, so will the stars background and even the alien sprites (the arcade has tens of defined sprites and allows for automatic flipping and mirroring. The CV VDP doesn't have these features and every alien will need two sprites, as the CV sprites are monochromatic). To make things worst, the arcade features 3 processors! But I still think it would be worth the effort, even if something needs to be compromised...

It would be really great! Maybe the problem with the CV is that it was released to close to the crash so, despite it has sold a lot, it was short lived and few people really got into it. But there are a few loyal fans out there, myself included...

Hey, don't you think it's nice to see brand new VCS games (like Marble Craze and Gunfight) becoming favourites among fans?!

Wow! Really!? Congrats! I envy you... It would be great if I could affort one. Right now I must content myself with MAME...

I have disassembled Space Invaders and Space Invaders Part II a while back as part of the programming for my ColecoVision game, Space Invaders Collection. You can see it here: http://www.geocities.com/vgbelloq I have the source code here, but you would need to understand Portuguese... Anyway I could help you if you wish. Just send me an private email...

To the UFO show in arcade, the invaders need to be below the first row in the first wave. I mean, in the first wave, the program will wait for the invaders go down a row before starting computing the UFO. For the next waves, they already start below this row. After that, the UFO will show every 600 frames, supposing you have a 30 frames per second frame rate (it leads to 20 seconds)… About the correct UFO velocity, enough to say the arcade moves just a game object per frame, beside the invaders themselves. So you have your base, base shot, 3 invaders shots and the UFO… The UFO increment is 2 pixels every move and the side it will show (right or left) will be randomly decided. Here is the ordered UFO score table. It is a circular list, and the pointer moves every shot you fire. 100,050,050,100,150,100,100,050,300,100,100,100,050,150,100,050 Just a bit of trivia….

To be more specific about this matter, Pac-Man (coleco) uses a special video driver which works with 6x6 pixels characters instead the standard 8x8 pixels chars ColecoVision uses. This way, I can't depend on the standard "names table" to position characters on screen. My video driver must handle everything by software. It wouldn't be a good solution if you are a lazy programmer... or if your release schedule is tight...

Yeah, absolutely. If you take a careful look on that screenshot, you will even notice there is an oddity in a specific maze region. Very subtle, but it is there... I really don't think the image does show any prodigious technical undertaking. It is just a matter of careful design, scaling properly the maze and in-game sprites. I hope the running game will impress a lot more. But Ms Pac-Man will use a simple graphic trick I have figured in order to overcome a specific graphic shortcoming...

Hey, great! How do I get a copy? The game sounds good. I visited your website but just found Vectrex games...

I hope the whole thing work out. I am going to need extra RAM on cartridge and bank switching too, but I am confident it would end being a very good port. I am a big fan of Galaga arcade! I have started thinking about a port many years ago, but just today I figured a good way to overcome some graphics limitations. But over the next year I will be busy finishing the game bellow... In fact the solution for the Galaga issue hit me when I was talking to a friend about a new way I found to implement an especific feature on Ms Pac-Man...

I have made some tests in order to determine how good would Galaga on the ColecoVision be. Below is a screenshot from my last experiment. MESS, running on ColecoVision mode, generated the screen. Pretty graphics, eh?

As a happy owner of Marble Craze, I must say it even deserves a better grade. And, why didn't they mention the incredible music? I am looking forward for more new games.